Be a lifetime learner. Challenge yourself to take risks and operate outside of your comfort zone. Solicit feedback and learn from mistakes. Understand the nature of causing breakthroughs and live it as a discipline. Believe in Magic!

When our first daughter was born, one of the things I wanted to teach her was to believe in magic. One of my methods was talking to animals when we were out and about. She couldn’t talk yet herself, but she watched me and from time to time I would report what they had to say. It worked! The bonus is she grew up with a remarkable connection to animals of every sort.

Some years later, after a couple of grueling years of business, I realized I had forgotten to believe in magic. I had been drawn into the daily swirl of life, and its ever-present challenges had become drudgery. Even more disturbing was it was by choice, not a conscious one, but a choice nonetheless. Magic is getting outside of the daily swirl of life and remembering we all have a choice, about everything, and to borrow from Viktor E. Frankl, “in this choice lies our freedom and growth.”

As far as we can tell, our personal reality is primarily made through a linear collection of life experiences and associated emotions. These shape how we see the world and consequently our behaviors and responses. From our view of the world, we develop strategies for accomplishment and success.

That’s the upside. The downside is there are blind spots associated with how we see things that can cause undesirable impacts on others, which we don’t intend, but nonetheless cause. If we are not dedicated to discovery, especially self-discovery, overcoming these day-to-day impacts will be difficult. Discovery requires research, feedback, and practice. If how I live my life is more important than what I do, then a lifetime of pursuing personal growth is a natural path. It may be an uphill path, but the view gets better and better. It’s the path to Magic.

Honor the trust others give us. Be rigorous about keeping all information in confidence and be vigilant to safeguard it.

In my professional life, I find it essential to keep my private conversations with others confidential, unless I have explicit permission to share what we discussed. This has trained me to confirm with others if the information in our conversation is private or public. The best conversations happen in an environment of safety and trust. The willingness of others to relate to us as a “safe place” to speak openly is a corollary to the rigor with which we honor and respect the privacy of the things people share with us. Personally, I consider the trust of others a badge of honor.

In the current political climate, there is a great deal of rancor and angst in and around the White House over “leaks,” which as far as I can tell has always been a robust trade in our Capitol, however it currently appears to have scaled new heights. A major concern around this is what people, especially foreign interests, will be willing to share with the President and his administration. The mistrust fomented by this climate is sharp, destructive, and contrary to smooth operations, and quite frankly, I see it as a detriment to our natural interests. It is a condition that allows us all to see the value of honoring another’s words as confidential.

I know from experience, if I hear a “juicy tidbit” of information it takes discipline not to share it. What people are willing to share with us is a gift and it enhances our ability to be clear and to make good decisions. The less willing people are to confide in us the weaker the information we have to make good decisions. We are dependent on the quality of what others tell us in order to see the world clearly and to see beyond our own limited perceptions of what we consider to be truth. By respecting confidentiality and honoring the sanctity of what others tell us in private, we build trust and increase safety, which sustains our personal effectiveness, in our personal lives as well as in business.

Make sure your expectations are clear and what people hear is what you are asking. Be clear about what is expected of you.

What we hear and what is being said to us are often two very different things. The end product could lead to two very different outcomes. I’m married to my business partner, and early in our marriage I was complaining to a friend and mentor, “Marlene just doesn’t appreciate what I’m dealing with here!” He responded, “You don’t listen to her.” I was dumfounded! He said, “You hear whether you agree with what she is saying, or what you think she should be saying. In other words, you hear what your internal conversation is about what she is saying, not what she is actually saying.”

As I started to protest, after all I was in the communication business, I suddenly realized, “My God, he is right!” So, I went to Marlene and shared the conversation. I apologized, and promised going forward I would listen to her communications for her meaning, not my interpretation. I also promised to check in to make sure I was hearing what she was saying or asking. You might say this started me on the road to recovery.

I later learned that particular conversation most likely prevented an early demise to a partnership that is now 30 plus years and thriving. My experience has been that most people listen from their own point of view, missing the meaning of the speaker much of the time. This leads to failed delivery, angst, anger, disappointment, rework and inefficiency. In reality, it doesn’t take much more time to confirm with others what their intended outcome is in the conversation, what is being asked of me, or making sure that what others heard from me is what I meant.

It’s pretty simple to do this, just not necessarily easy, as there is vulnerability in admitting you might have heard or assumed a different intention. Since that pinnacle moment over three decades ago, I have been practicing listening for intent, checking in on understanding, and making sure others hear what I am saying or asking. I’m still practicing!

I probably saved a great and ever-growing partnership with my wife. I encourage you to take on the practice of being clear, and think about the relationships you could recover and possibly nurture into something stronger.

While effort is appreciated, what gets recognized and rewarded are results. Set high goals, don’t overpromise, track and measure your progress, then hold yourself accountable for delivering on the results.

Deliver results is the end game of Fundamental #13 from last week, “Find a Way.” What these two do not mean is “at any cost!” We come from the approach that most people want to make a difference in what they do and certainly producing results fosters and illuminates that. An important part of producing results is how you get there. The deliverable is just part of the result. Everything we do gets done inside of a network of people and how our efforts impact others in the process is important. We are almost always dependent on other people in getting results produced. For example, writing these fundamentals just takes my computer and me; however, I’m dependent on others to review, edit and post. I could also do those things, reducing my overall effectiveness, but I’m still dependent on readers finding these posts valuable or there is no result.

We have often worked in organizations where there were high performers whose impact was toxic on others. This ultimately reduced their effectiveness, because others started avoiding them, or going around them. In business, many people naturally have their eye on just the result; others have their eye on the relationship. Paying attention to both increases results in the moment and enriches the path to future results.

I work in the mining industry quite a bit. There is a practice called “high grading,” which is extracting ore from richer parts of the ore body to produce immediate higher results. It’s a practice that is generally frowned on because it diminishes the life of the ore body. In our ambition to produce results, it’s critical to recognize that the result is just part of the action. How we get there is also an element of the result. Paying attention to the impact of how we produce results is as important as the result. Why, because it makes for greater effectiveness over a longer period of time. Consider refraining from high grading your results and possibly end up producing casualties for a short-term gain. We invite you to play the long-game. We would wager that your accomplishments and the difference you make in the quality of your relationships would multiply exponentially.

Next week, the fundamental focuses on an important part of delivering results: #15 Be Accountable for Setting and Receiving Clear Expectations.

At the beginning of this year we introduced our affiliation with High Performing Culture. Within this wonderful community each consultant takes a turn at sharing a story about how the Fundamentals play into their daily lives, both personally and professionally. Fundamentals are the foundational behaviors expected in a High Performing Culture around which rituals are established to institutionalize the behaviors. Last week our President, Marlene Clark had the opportunity to share about her awesome trip with IGNITE and how the High Performing Culture Fundamental of the Week came in handy:

Fundamental #23: LOOK AHEAD AND ANTICIPATE. Solve problems before they happen by anticipating future needs and addressing them in advance. Preventing issues is always more effective than fixing them.

I just returned from an epic adventure in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and this Fundamental ended up being the guiding light of our trip. From the time we started packing (using a very thorough checklist) to each time we walked out the door for our next guided tour, we were constantly having to look ahead and anticipate…especially the weather!

Here in Austin, Texas, there comes a point in the summer when there’s nothing else except HOT and HOTTER. I’d say we have officially reached that point: 27 days over 100° as of today. So, I was thrilled when I discovered a few months ago that I had an opportunity to go on this adventure with ten strong, risk-taking women in a part of the country where things were sure to cool off a bit.

Over the week we somehow packed in a 7-mile mountain hike up 1400 feet in the rain, a white-water rafting trip that included a thorough and consistent soaking, a 3-hour mountain bike tour, 5 hours of country and western dancing, a 2000-foot elevation horse-back ride, and a 3 hour “float-trip” down the Snake River. During each 24 hour period there was up to a 40° spread in temperature.

And it was the “relaxing float-trip” that took us all by surprise. The sun was out as we took off. We all were sleeveless and enjoying the effortless cruise with our capable rafting guide. Of course we had all packed our rain jackets, still in our packs, thinking for once we were not going to need them. About half an hour into the trip, huge looming clouds formed out of nowhere, and within minutes we found ourselves in the middle of a full-on squall that lasted for 30 minutes! Thank goodness our guide had looked ahead and anticipated this possibility. He passed out these huge water-proof ponchos and wool blankets to wear underneath. He had the long-term experience to know what to expect and what might possibly go wrong. Because of this we had an exhilarating experience in the freezing rain instead of a miserable last two hours. It took all the stress out of the situation and we laughed and enjoyed the rest of the way down.

Whether in business or play-time, the more we look ahead and anticipate the possibilities, the more we can be present in the moment and enjoy being happy and effective with what is in front of us now.

Now let’s get out those calendars to see what’s coming and how we can best be of service to our clients, families and our friends!

Respond to every situation by looking for how we can do it, rather than explaining why it can’t be done. Take personal responsibility. Be innovative, assertive, and take initiative.

For some reason Mount Rushmore has been on my mind lately. In the spirit of this week’s Fundamental, I wonder what the reception was like when Doane Robinson came up with the idea to carve massive faces of historical people on a South Dakota mountain side to spur tourism? “Hey, I’ve got a great idea, let’s carve a bunch of…” I don’t know but I bet it wasn’t a slam-dunk. The important thing is it got done. And is probably so much greater than anyone imagined at the time. It took years to accomplish this goal, but they found a way and what a magnificent contribution to this country.

“Find a Way” is the determination to get something produced verses just simply staying busy. Within organizations, people often confuse staying busy with being productive. Getting it done is not about effort, it’s about the determination to produce something promised, something of value. In our work, we talk a lot about ownership-accountability versus victimization.

Ownership-accountability is a matter of approaching life from owning the outcome. I either got it done or I didn’t, period. Of course, there will be explanations why it didn’t get done, but the minute I start blaming others or circumstances I abdicate any power I have in the matter. That’s not to say there aren’t explanations or reasons for things falling short; there is just no power in the explanations and reasons. However, if I am holding myself accountable for the outcome, regardless, then I have a broad window from which to learn and expand. I think it’s legitimate to say I can only be in one of two places at any time in my life. I’m being accountable for an outcome or I’m being a victim of why it didn’t happen. Neither is good or bad, right or wrong. I just get different results. And like pretty much everything else in life, it’s a choice.

Doane Robinson made a choice to bring a National Icon to South Dakota in the face of massive logistical issues (i.e. over 400,000 tons of rock moved.) And he got it done! You, I, and America are richer for it.